It’s hard to keep up with our insatiable appetite for more and more data storage and hard drive manufacturers really have their work cut out for them. To increase hard drive capacity, manufacturers have to fit information ever more densely, but you see physics has a thing to say about packing our bits too tight on magnetic media. The first technological ‘snag’ was overcome in 2005 when perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) was commercialized taking the reigns from longitudinal magnetic recording (LMR).continue reading

There is a certain satisfaction in calling out first, that Seagate must be feeling right now. Seagate just announced the world’s first 4TB external hard drive, which has been added to their growing GoFlex Desk line. The standard unit comes with USB 3.0 support (USB 2.0 backwards compatible) and is available now for $250, while a Mac version will be coming out soon with Firewire 800 and USB 2.0 connectivity. But, as with all GoFlex drives, the base can be swapped for different connectivity options; like something more interesting perhaps, let’s say Thunderbolt?

Seagate also managed a design refresh, giving the drive a more “industrial” look. The unit weights 2.38 lbs and measures 6.22 x 4.88 x 1.73-inches and has enough space for 2,000 HD movies, or you know, those “documentaries” you like watching late at night. Full press release after the break.continue reading

The folks at LaCie are known for busting out some of the best looking external storage devices out there; and with their more recent ‘Rugged’ family of hard drives, they have also been toying with the most robust of the bunch.

Here comes the latest addition to the Rugged family, the Rugged Mini, which has been shrunk to a pocketable size while still keeping the trademark orange bumper. The latest drive, which has also been designed by Neil Poulton, is rain, drop and shock resistant, while LaCie claims that a 1-ton car can drive over it and the drive will still work.continue reading